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{
    "id": 608113,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/608113/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 298,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "When you look at the potato industry, we have been having a lot of challenges right from seeds for planting. Farmers have been replanting and recycling the same potatoes year after year. The yields have been going down because the potato plant is susceptible to diseases. If you plant a tuber that is already infected, the resultant yields will definitely be lower. Sometimes the farmers lose everything. Farmers have been at risk whereby sometimes they lose all their seasonal crop. I am happy that this Bill seeks to ensure that the potato farmer gets certified seed, just like we have certified seeds for maize, cotton and so on. This is very important because when the famer goes to procure seeds, he will know that the seeds are certified, having been checked and certified by a competent authority like the board this Bill seeks to establish. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there has also been a problem in marketing of the produce. There was a time we had very reliable marketing structures that ensured that at the time of planting, the farmers would know what they would reap in terms of income. Over time, policy makers, in the name of free enterprise, have jeopardized food production by bringing uncertainty to the farmers as to what they will produce. This also affects maize production. If I may talk about grain, any country that seeks to have food security must ensure that the farmers know the price well in advance. Unfortunately, in this country, farmers plant, we promise them heaven, we do extension services, sometimes we provide fertilizer and at the end of the day the farmers sell at a loss. We are just too happy to go globally looking for food yet farmers in this country are capable of feeding its people, we have the maize that we can feed on."
}